A research team led by Professor Yan Hui from the College of Materials Science and Engineering at Beijing University of Technology, in collaboration with the team of Dr. Zhang Jinyan at Fujian Gold Stone Energy Company, has a paper published in Nature (Vol 652, pp 650-654). Titled "Maximizing carrier extraction in hybrid back-contact silicon solar cells", the study reports a significant advance in this type of photovoltaic cell. Drawing on long-term industry-education collaboration, the two teams achieved breakthroughs in process innovation and theoretical understanding, enabling optimized cell design and control of photogenerated carrier dynamics. They successfully developed high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells suitable for mass production, which have achieved an certified record efficiency of 27.62%. This work provides a novel technological approach and theoretical foundation for overcoming the prevailing efficiency limitations of crystalline silicon cells.

Professor Yan Hui's research team at the College of Materials Science and Engineering was founded in 1995. The team has focused on exploring the constitutive relationships and optimization strategies linking materials, device architecture, and performance in various photovoltaic systems. They have consistently achieved new records in the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of silicon-based solar cells. Their research outcomes have been published in prestigious journals including Nature, Nature Communications, Nature Energy, Nature Materials, and Nature Materials Review. This work has cultivated numerous outstanding talents in the fields of new energy and optoelectronic functional materials based on nanoscience and technology.